Chapter 20 - Blair
“I think there is more than one issue that I caused. I interrupted so many pieces of his plan. It started the night he met me. Then he had to sidetrack and hunt me down to make sure I wasn’t going to go to the police.
After that, he realized I was in danger now because Jaco knew who I was, and he had to bring me into his home.
I caused chaos in his life that wasn’t supposed to be there,” I explain, desperately wanting his brother to understand that Simon is not in the wrong.
He was doing what he thought was right, what was right.
And all the while, he was also protecting me.
I am the reason his plans have failed so far.
Marlen’s eyes are dark as he stares down at me, knotting his brows and listening intently.
My heart is beating hard against my ribs as I wait for him to lash out in anger.
Marlen opens his mouth to speak, but suddenly Simon is standing between us.
“She’s wrong, Marlen. Don’t be angry with her.”
“What, no…” I stammer, trying to push Simon out of the way.
Marlen hugs in annoyance. “What the fuck is going on, Simon!” he demands.
“Blair is very sweet for trying to protect me from your anger, but she’s wrong,” Simon says, glancing over her shoulder at me. He reaches back and takes my hand, squeezing gently. My heart somersaults at his touch.
“Blair got dragged into this mess because of me. The reason things went off track is because I wasn’t on top of everything like I usually am.
I wasn’t paying attention. That’s why it reached the families.
I am at fault for not staying focused enough.
Blair didn’t choose to get dragged into it.
I took her, even against her will, only wanting to keep her safe. ”
I step around Simon, so I’m standing next to him instead of behind him.
Quietly, I listen as he speaks with his brothers, glancing between them, explaining how he lost track of things.
His words sink into my thoughts, and I realize, okay, yes, he did lose track. He stopped being fully focused on his plans, and he got distracted. But it all happened from the moment he married me. Before that, he was fully invested.
Once I came into his life, he became impulsive and erratic with his choices. Marrying me was only the first one. He made other choices—all to protect me—that led him astray from his plans.
Am I just a nuisance in his life? Have I disrupted his otherwise organized and structured world? Guilt ripples through me and floods me with a heavy sense of regret.
I think I am to blame. I think he is just too caught up to see the truth of it.
When Simon stops speaking, Marlen still looks furious.
“Alright, I still don’t know what the fuck is going on, but you need to understand the gravity of this situation, Simon,” he demands.
“The Marcas family is influential in this city, and now we are on the brink of war with them over some revenge plot that you cooked up toward Jaco. Now I think we need to set up a meeting with…”
“No. No meetings.” Simon shakes his head.
“We need to fix this fucking mess,” Marlen snaps.
“No, not we. I need to fix this mess. And I will. I assure you, Marlen. I will fix this. I don’t want a war either, and I never intended for it to come to this. I will find a way to make this right without making things worse. I promise you. I’ve got this,” he insists sternly.
Marlen growls and pushes his hand through his hair. He closes his eyes for a moment and turns his back on Simon. When he opens his eyes again, he is looking directly at Bardil.
He says nothing, but Bardil shrugs, standing too. “Give him a chance to fix it. One week. We can reassess the storm after that and decide how to move forward,” Bardil says.
Marlen nods. “Fine. I will tell the Marcas family we are sorting it out,” he huffs.
He turns to look at Simon. “You have one week.”
I take a breath of relief. At least Marlen is giving him a chance to fix it. He’s trusting him with it even though he’s furious.
Simon insists I leave the car I came in downstairs and that he’ll send someone to fetch it later. I drive home with him.
He’s quiet. His expression is pensive, and he’s lost in thought, obviously trying to put together a solution that will keep his family safe.
Next to him, I sit awkwardly, hating the fact that he has the full burden of his mess resting on his shoulders alone. It doesn’t seem fair. I truly believe that if it weren’t for me, his plans would have gone perfectly. All of this would probably be over, and no one would know any difference.
My fingers twist together in my lap.
Nervous tension settles over me.
I refuse to let him deal with this alone. I will find a way to help.
It’s late at night, and I have my phone in my hand. The bright light from the screen is the only light in my room, and it has a harsh glow. I should be asleep, but instead I am typing out a message to Talia.
Did you hear about everything going on with Simon, Jaco, and the Marcas family?
I wait, knowing it’s too late and she’s probably fast asleep like I should be.
But to my surprise, I see her come online and start typing.
I did. Is Simon okay?
I want to help him. And I have a plan, but I’m not sure if I can do it on my own.
What’s the plan? I also want to help Simon. My heart flips with relief and excitement. This might actually work with Talia’s help!
I met Lindsey at the gala the other day, and she was very talkative. I was thinking that if we could somehow bump into her and get her talking, she would eventually reveal something she shouldn’t. We can crack past Jaco’s lies and get it on tape or something?
That’s a brilliant idea. I’ll come fetch you in the morning. We can tell the guys we’re going shopping. Get some rest. I’ll see you around nine.
I read her last message, and relief washes over me. She’s willing to help me! Thank goodness. Now I can do something tangible to support Simon. He needs me. He might not know it. But he does. And I want to be there for him.
***
“There she is,” Talia whispers, staring through her oversized sunglasses toward the girl walking toward us on a busy street in the city.
“How in the world did you know she would be here?” I gasp.
It’s just past ten, and we’ve been sitting at a coffee shop, at a table outside on the sidewalk, for half an hour. The ice has already melted in my iced coffee, and I was beginning to worry that I was a stupid plan. But there she is. Lindsey. Walking right toward us.
“She’s a bit predictable, this girl,” Talia grins. “She would never miss her hair appointment, and it’s set for the same day every week as long as I have known she exists.”
Suddenly, Talia puts a massive smile on her face and calls out, “Lindsey! Is that you?” As she waves her hand in the air.
Lindsey pauses, hesitating, and she pulls her glasses down a little, squinting at Talia.
“Talia! Oh, my goodness! And Blair, how lucky am I to bump into you girls?” Lindsey says with the fakest smile in the world.
My skin becomes agitated as though something is crawling over me, but I force a smile onto my face as well.
“You look amazing, did you just have your hair done?” Talia coos.
“I did, isn’t it perfect?” she gushes. “Jaco insists that I look my best at all times,” she says, her smile faltering ever so slightly. What an odd thing to say.
“You have to sit with us for a moment. Have a drink?” Talia says, gesturing to the empty seat between us.
Lindsey tilts her head to the side, then glances nervously around. “Um, I suppose I could for a moment,” she says, taking a seat and setting her purse down on the table.
She orders a cranberry juice.
Talia starts chatting to her about beauty products and name brands I don’t know.
But Lindsey surprises us both by interrupting her general chit-chat to say, “Did you hear that the Marcas family is furious? Jaco told them that Simon attacked him yesterday. They want retribution,” she says, placing her hand over her heart as though she’s shocked.
I bite my teeth together, fighting the urge to shout Simon didn’t attack him!
Talia replies quickly, latching onto the topic. “We heard. They had a meeting yesterday. I can’t believe this thing has been going on between Simon and Jaco, and we didn’t even know about it. Did you know about it? It must be horrible to be stuck in the middle of it all,” she asks.
Her question is so perfectly placed. It sounds innocent and filled with concern and curiosity.
Lindsey latches onto the attention, and her expression changes. A slight pout touches her lips, and her eyes grow wider with innocence.
“I have asked Jaco to let it all go, but he… he is. It’s not always easy to speak to him.”
She shifts uncomfortably in her seat and glances up and down the street again. Why does she look scared? Beneath the doe-faced innocence, something else is hiding. It’s fear. Fear for what, though?
“What do you mean? You two are engaged. Aren’t you two happy together?” Talia pushes.
Lindsey laughs nervously. I think she meant for it to sound like a lighthearted giggle, but it comes out tight and awkward.
My heart clenches, and I reach out to touch her hand, instinctively picking up on her fear again.
“Lindsey, is something wrong? It’s okay, you can tell us,” I say, speaking gently.
She bites at her lower lip and drops her voice to a whisper as though the people walking past might be spies listening in. She leans closer over the table. “I… it’s not safe for me to talk about it,” she says.
Talia and I look at each other across the table, our eyes narrowed with concern.
“It’s safe with us,” Talia insists. “And if you need help, we’re here for you. Whatever it is. We can find a way to help you.”
Lindsey turns toward me with her brows knotted and an expression of guilt.
“I’m so sorry for what I said to you the other night.
It was so mean of me. I don’t know why I did it.
I think I was just jealous. Simon is such an amazing man.
He’s gentle and sweet and kind… he’s… he’s nothing like Jaco. Jaco is… he’s… dangerous.”
I clear my throat and bite my lower lip, trying to read behind her words.
After a moment, I say, “Lindsey, what makes you say that about your fiancé?”
She scoffs softly.
“If I could have run away months ago. I don’t want to be engaged to him.” She looks as though she might start crying as she begins to fidget with the massive engagement ring on her finger, as though it’s hurting her.
Talia lets out a heavy sigh.
“Is he… does he hurt you?” she asks, getting straight to the point. It’s what we are both thinking.
Lindsey bites at her lip and shrugs slowly.
“It’s hard to explain. He’s never hit me.
But he… he makes me feel worthless. He treats me like I’m nothing.
He says things to me that hurt. I mean… they really hurt.
If I have one hair out of place or if my nail varnish chips, he calls me disgusting.
He says I’m an embarrassment. He’s already told me no one else would possibly love me…
that I’m lucky he’s willing to marry me because no one else ever would…
” Her voice is small and childlike as she tells us some of the horrible things he says to her.
The more we listen, the more we see the reality of her situation.
“Why don’t you leave?” I ask, worrying about her mental and emotional well-being.
She laughs softly as though I’ve made a joke. “He says he will kill me if I try to leave him.”
Talia’s mouth drops open in shock. She stares at me with fire in her eyes and a plan forming behind her angry expression.
Lindsey is trapped with a man who is mentally and emotionally abusing her. Now that her facade of confidence and bitchiness has broken away, we can both see it clearly.
She treats people like shit as a defense mechanism. Or maybe as an outlet or a cry for help against the hurt and fear she carries inside her.
I lift my chin in defiance and say, “You can’t go back to him, Lindsey.”
She shakes her head, smiling. “I have no choice, Blair. It’s not an easy situation. His family is powerful. Jaco is powerful. I don’t want to die. I’d rather wait. If I stay, he might get bored with me and one day let me go…” She says with a wistful tone.
“Or he might get bored with you and get rid of you some other way,” Talia says darkly. “You can’t go back.”
“Did you not hear what I just said. His family is powerful,” Lindsey whimpers, a single tear rolling down her cheek. She lifts her hand and quickly brushes it away, trying to adjust her expression to hide her emotions.
A mask.
A mask she has to wear every day to avoid conflict with Jaco.
My heart breaks for her.
Talia shakes her head, smiling darkly. “The Marcas family is powerful. But so is mine. Give me a second, I won’t be long,” she says, standing up and grabbing her phone.
While she’s away, Lindsey begins to panic.
“Please, she can’t interfere. If Jaco even hears I was talking to you two, he’ll be furious.
I don’t know what he’ll do. I never know when his anger will escalate and become something darker.
Please, please tell her not to talk to anyone.
I need to go. I should never have sat down… ”
She tries to stand, and I take her hand, standing too, and not letting her leave. Tears are shimmering behind her eyes, and she looks terrified. “Just give her a moment. Let’s hear what she has to say,” I ask calmly.
Talia comes back to the table and stands with us.
“I have a safe house ready for you. We’ll take you straight there.
I promise you, Lindsey, we are going to keep you safe.
This might be your one chance to escape him.
I can’t force you to come with us. But I am asking you…
think about your future. Think carefully about what happens if you stay with him… ”
Lindsey looks like a wild rabbit being circled by wolves. She looks scared and frozen in place. We both watch her in silence, pleading with our eyes. Begging her to let us help her.
Her voice is shaking when she finally speaks. “I’ll go with you,” she whispers. “I don’t want to go back to him.”
As she says the words, her shoulders slump in relief of her choice. She still looks terrified, but somehow like the world has been lifted off her back.
“Let’s go now.”